Ethnic disparities in cancer prevalence in Nepal from a 6 year analyses of a single tertiary hospital cancer registry

Background: This study intends to present the six-year trend of cancer prevalence in Nepal focusing on ethnic disparities based on the data from the patients admitted at Kathmandu Cancer Centre (KCC), Nepal from different geographic regions. This study provides a picture crucial for decisions-making on prevention and therapeutic intervention. Methods: The data was analyzed from a total of 2874 patients in KCC between 2016 and 2021. Estimates of cancer prevalence were reported for each cancer type based on gender, age group, ethnicity and geographical location. Results: Among 2784 cases 50.27% were males and 49.59% were females. Gender for 4 patients (0.14%) was not classified. Head and Neck Cancers (H&N) shows the highest rate of overall prevalence among all ethnicities. Likewise, the cancer prevalence was highest at 60–69 years. Further, Koshi followed by Bagmati has the highest prevalence of cancer. The data shows a disproportionately high representation of Bahun/Chhetri patients admitted at the hospital, indicating a concerning ethnic disparity in cancer burden and/or access to cancer care services. Conclusion: Our study confirms ethnic disparities in cancer prevalence in Nepal. This study suggests that tailoring preventive and curative health services to the specific cancer profile of different population subgroups could be instrumental in achieving national health-related development goals. Impact: This study highlights the concerning disparity in cancer prevalence in Nepal with Head and Neck cancers being the most common across all demographics. The findings underscore critical disparities by age, geography, and ethnicity, calling for targeted interventions. Further investigation on the factors behind the disparity may provide insight to devise tailored and effective preventive and curative services.